Website security is a hot topic right now, and it can also be a confusing one. Our goal with this blog post is not to push products or add fear. We just want to help educate small business owners on how to best protect themselves and their sites from malware, viruses and hackers. So below you’ll find some practical tips to help safeguard your website.

So why is website security so important in the first place? Well, as we all know, a nicely designed website, competitive pricing, and high quality customer service are all essential elements to running a successful online store. But if you don’t properly safeguard your website it’s all for nothing. Why?

Simply put, the cost of security breaches and data loss are significant. Those costs include actual monetary losses, as well as resource costs as you allocate time and/or the time of members of your team to resolve the issue. And as every business owner knows, if your website is down for any amount of time, you run the risk of losing sales. Then, there is also reputational damage to consider. If your customers don’t trust the safety and security of your website, they won’t shop there – it’s as simple as this.

Needless to say, the security of your website is of the utmost importance. But like we said, don’t worry – you don’t have to run for the hills in terror. Just like there are measures you can take to protect your physical store from theft, loss or damage, there are measures you can take to protect your online store, too. Here are a few:

Make Sure Your Web Apps Are Up-To-Date

This first tip is likely going to be the most crucial in keeping your site protected. Apps, plugins, CMS systems, and other pieces of software are regularly updated. This often fixes or improves functionality. But one of the main reasons for releasing a software update is to fix a security threat. You are at risk if you don’t run updates when they become available.

Take WordPress sites, for example, which are sometimes targeted by hackers. WordPress releases security-related upgrades rather frequently, including for it’s plugins and themes. Some of these updates are done automatically, but others need to be managed manually. If you’re not checking for updates at least once a week, you could get caught in a situation where your site is out-of-date and, therefore, more at risk. So it’s extremely important that you download the latest version of your website software as well as all plugins and apps as soon as an upgrade is made available. If you need help figuring out whether there are upgrades available for your site, feel free to reach out to our support team for assistance.

Strengthen Your Passwords

Weak passwords is often the second-leading reason for a breach in security (next to out of date applications). In fact, at the start of 2015, the leading IT publication CIO published the six biggest security threats that organizations face and number 2 on the list revolves around carelessness and weak passwords.

The good news about this threat is that it’s one of the easiest to combat. How? Make sure your passwords are always unique, random and un-guessable. It can seem annoying when you’re asked to include at least one number and one character when creating passwords, but trust us, it’s for good reason.

Also, we know it can be tempting to use the same password across all of your accounts and applications. But even if your password is strong, it shouldn’t be used multiple times. It might be easier to remember, but it definitely creates more risk. Think of it this way … On the off chance a hacker somehow managed to decipher even the strongest of your passwords, he will only have access to that specific account if your passwords are all different.

Protect Confidential Information

Using a well-known and respected shopping cart is a great way of protecting the credit card transaction of your customers. But there is other information that also needs protection: Your customers will usually give you personal details before they complete their purchase, such as email addresses and physical addresses. You’ll want to protect this using an SSL certificate. It protects data in transit over the internet, and prevents hackers from snooping and stealing.

Back It Up

When did you get your first computer? Was it in the late 1980s or early 1990s? Even back then you were probably told by IT managers and experts how important it is to back up your information. That importance has not diminished, and neither has the fact that so many people still don’t backup their information properly.

It is so easy to lose your information – through error, malice, hardware, or your own fault. Site Backups and Restore will ensure that when the worst happens, you are backed up and running as soon as possible.

Think Before You Click

Malware can spread through email, your social media accounts, and many other ways. If you are using a device that you also use for your business – your phone, tablet or computer – be careful with everything that you click. Even when it comes from a trusted source, always think twice.

And remember that it is usually the most interesting things that contain the biggest risk. For example, DJ Armin van Buuren is one of the most searched for celebrities on the internet, but according to McAfee he is also the most dangerous celebrity to search for because of the number of dodgy websites that use Armin van Buuren content to lure people into a click. Always think twice before you click.

Be Wary Of Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi when you are away from the home or office is a real lifeline, but remember that the information you send is not always protected. If you are using an unsecured hotspot your information is potentially at risk. A free VPN service is one solution to make your third-party Wi-Fi use more secure.

In addition to all of the tips above, you could consider using a product like SiteLock. Depending on the plan you use, the product can not only detect malware in your system, but it can remove it as well, helping to keep it more secure.

It’s important to understand that even if you take all precautionary measures possible, things do happen. Security is breached, sites go down, hackers succeed. Even as your web host, we are literally working 24×7 to prevent such occurrences with the most advanced technology available, and we still can’t guarantee perfection. So keep in mind — some of the tips on this list are about common sense and good processes, and others require minor technical changes. And while we can’t promise they’ll eliminate all risk, implementing them will make your website more secure for the long-term.

Have any questions? Never hesitate to comment below or reach out to our support team. Good luck!